RESPITE FOR THE SOUL AT AVENSOLE WINERY, TEMECULA, CA

A recent trip to So Cal’s Temecula wine country was a treat worth sharing. We arrived at the Avensole Restaurant parking area to see party goers heading to and from an outdoor patio on the grounds where a “20s” theme party was taking place. People going to the party taking place about a hundred yards away on an outdoor patio area mingled with those going to the restaurant making for an electric atmosphere.
 We pass thru a charming Shoppe area whose backdrop is the kitchen/bakery behind a glass wall on the way to the dining area. We were seated almost center in the outdoor courtyard, close enough to see the entertainment starting their first set. Lunchbox Crackerjack, helped us digest our drink and food with their covers of tunes from every decade since the seventies. We  started with some house specialty drinks a Moscow Mule and the Sidecar each fit the bill to help erase the hour drive we had getting there. Then our waiter James helped with picking the 5 wines we would drink with our meal.

We dined on a Beef Wellington croissant and the Avensole burger, which were a cut above what I am used to providing me a Pancetta Angus beef burger that surprised those taste buds when you get used to everyday bacon burgers! Avensole does a great job creating a feeling of relaxation and respite from the outside noise of everyday life.

Story by: Mike Caro

Photography Courtesy of: Avensole Winery